Police confirms 6 injured in Cross River after invasion by Cameroonian gendarmes

The police in Cross River on Monday said that
six residents of Danare community in Boki Local
Government Area were shot by gendarmes from
Bodam community during an invasion on the
Nigerian territory by Cameroonians.

Mr Hafiz Inuwa, the Commissioner of Police,
made the disclosure in an interview with the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
He said that the Cameroonian community,
`Bodam’, on the border with Nigeria’s Boki
Local Government Area, had been in crisis with
Danare community over the international land
dispute.

Inuwa said after visiting Danare community that
although no life was lost, six residents of Danare
community were shot by the Cameroonians.
“We found out that six persons were shot and
they are currently in the hospital as the pellets
were being removed from their bodies.
“They were shot by the people of Bodam village
from Cameroon. We have advised the people to
restore normalcy and shun all forms of crisis
and allow the government to take charge.

“They told us that they were preparing to repel
the attack because the Cameroonians had
encroached almost 43km into their land,’’ he
said.
The commissioner further explained that the
Danare people were appealing to the
government to restore electricity, drinking
water, communication and police post in the
area.

Dr Itam Abang, the member representing Boki
I State Constituency in Cross River House of
Assembly, told the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) that over 1,000 cocoa, plantain and
banana farms were also destroyed by the
Cameroonians.
Itam said majority of residents in the area were
mainly farmers and appealed to the Federal
Government to intervene by providing the
people with adequate security and social
amenities.

“When we got there, the Danare people had
already mobilised for war. Luckily, we arrived
on time in company with the commissioner of
police and we had to prevail on them not to go
into the forest.
“From where we were standing, we could hear
gunshots because the Cameroonians had really
encroached into the Danare community.
“And from what my people told me, the
Cameroonians have destroyed over 1,000 of
their farmlands and this is a huge loss to the
farmers.

“We advised residents in the community to hold
their peace that the state and Federal
Government were going to step in with a view
to restoring peace and normalcy in the area,’’
she said.